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FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 20, 1902. RENEWED SEPT. 13, 1904.

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FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902. RENEWED SEPT. 13, 1904.

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FURNACE. I APrLIUATIOH FILED NOV. 20, 1902. RENEWED SEPT. 13, 1904. 7963,088. 'Patenfied- July 5, 1910.

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I v APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902. RENEWED gEPT. 13, 1904. 963,088.

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Patented July 5, 1910.

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FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20,1902. RENEWED SEPT. 18, 1904.963,088.

Patented July 5, 1910.

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ALBERT A. E. STERZING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FURNACE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1910.

Application filed November 20, 1902, Serial No. 132,102. RenewedSeptember 13,1904. Serial No. 224,324.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. E. Srnnz- ING, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and a resident of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, ofwhich the following is a specification.-

My invention relates to furnaces for'burning coal or similar solid fueland more particularly to furnaces adapted for heatingsteam boilers.

One object of'my invention is to provide an automatic or mechanicalstoker whereby: the fuel is continuously supplied to the fire in smallquantities and is uniformly distributed over the entire grate area so asnot to materially check the combustion.

Another object of my invention is -to provide a mechanical stoker inwhich provision is made for heating the fuel before it is applied to thefire, the checking of .the combustion and the production of smoke beingthereby further prevented.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction which doesnot interfere with the firing of the furnace by hand in the ordinaryway.

Another object ofmy invention is to provide an auxiliary stokingmechanism where by without'opening the furnace so as to ad mit cold-air,fuel may be supplied to anypart oflthe fire in such quantities as may berequired to prevent the formation of air holes or thin spots in thefire.

Other objects of my invention are to provide means whereby the effectivegrate surface on the fire area may be varied at will to correspond tothe variations in the demand for heat; also to provide means whereby thearea of distribution of the mechanical stoker is automatically varied tocorrespond to the changes inthe effective area of the grate.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists,- first,in-the combination, in a furnace, of a plurality of fuel projectingdevices arranged to deliver fuel to different parts of the furnace,operating said devices with varying degrees of force whereby the fuel issupplied in small quantities to all parts of the furnace.

In accordance with'the best embodiment of'my invention the fuelprojectingdevices consist of a number of open ended fuel receptacles,means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, and reciprocating plungersfor and means for projecting the fuel from the receptacles into thefurnace. In accordance with the best construction means are provided forretractmg the plungers successively, springs for drlving them-inwardlyto project the fuel onto the fire, and means for varying the force ofthesprings wherebythe fuel is projected to different distances from eachreceptaclen My invention also consists in thecombina tion, in a furnace,of'automatically opera-ted means for projecting the fuel in smallquantities to different parts of the furnace, and means under thecontrol of the operator for projectingfuel in. small quantities to anydesired part of the furnace. In accordance with the best embodiment ofthis feature of the invention the automatically operated fuel projectingdevices are continuously operated to project the fuel to certaindefinite parts of the furnace, and the hand controlled projecting deviceis constructed to enablethe fuel to be projected to any part of thefurnace withoutadmitting cold air thereto.

My invention also consists in the combination, "in a furnace, of meansfor projecting fuel:into' the furnace, a movable wall for varying theeffective area ofthe furnace and connections between the movable walland the projecting devices whereby the distance to which the fuel isprojected into the fur nace varies directly with the area thereof. Inaccordance with the best embodiment of this feature ofthe invention themeans for projecting the fuel into the furnace consists of av number offuel projecting devices, each being, automatically operated to projectthe fuel in small quantities to varying distances in the furnace and theconnections between the movable wall and the fuel projecting devices aresuch that the distance to which the fuel is projected varies inproportion to the area of the furnace.

My invention also consists in the combination, in a furnace, of asuit-able grate, a wall movable back-and forth over a part of said-grateand means for moving said wall to varythe effective area of the grate.

My invention also consists in certain other improvements, combinationsand features of construction, as will more fully hereinafter the sameserving in connection with the description herein to explain theprinciples of the invention and the best mode contemplated by me ofapplying those principles.

Of the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a steam boiler furnaceconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional Viewof a part of the furnace illustrating the construction of the fuelprojecting devices and the operating mechanism therefor on a largerscale; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is a view similarto Fig. 2, illustrating a modified con struction of the fuel projectingdevices; Fig. 4? is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is a frontelevation of the hand controlled devices whereby the fuel may beprojected to any desired part of the furnace; Fig. 6 is a verticalsectional view of the same; Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the sametaken on the line 77 of Fig. 6 with certain parts re moved to betterillustrate the construction; Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectionof a furnace constructed in accordance with my invention,- Fig. 9 is atransverse section of the same, taken 011 line 99, Fig. 8 and looking inthe direction of the arrows; Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view of theconstruction shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of the same,and Fig. 12 is a transverse section taken on the line l2-12, Fig. 10 andlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts wherever they occurthroughout the several views.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated 1 represents the frontframe of a steam boiler furnace, which as to its general features may beof the usual construction, 2 representing the ordinary furnace doors and3, 3, the doors to the ash pit. I11 accordance with the best embodimentof the invention the automatic stoking mechanism is .arranged above thefurnace doors so as to project the fuel into the furnace from a pointnear the top thereof. As shown a series of small fuel receptacles 4: areformed directly in the upper part of the front wall 1 of the furnace.These receptacles 4 are open at their inner ends and for the purpose ofpro jecting the fuel therefrom each of them is provided with a suitableejecting device, that shown consisting of a reciprocating plunger 5fitted to enter the receptacle from the front and to move a suitabledistance therein toward the inner open end thereof. Any suitable meansmay beprovided to retract the plungers 5 and suddenly move them forwardwith a suitable degree of force to project the fuel to the desireddistance in the furnace. In accordance with the preferred construction acam shaft 6 is journaled in a suitable bracket 7, below the outer endsof the plungers 5, said shaft being provided with a suitable tappet cam8 for each gaged by a j of .the plungers. As shown each of theseplungers 5 is slotted on its under surface so as to form an abutmentadapted to be encorresponding cam 8 in such a I manner that the cam willdraw the plunger out of the receptacle a certain distance and i thenrelease the plunger so that it may be driven back into the receptaclewith any desired degree of force. The means shown for driving theplungers inwardly consists of a spring 9, one for each of the plungers,I said springs being preferably formed of two or more plate springswhich are firmly bolted one on top of the other to a rectangularrock-shaft 10 journaled at a suitable point above the Each of theplungers 5 is provided with a stop shoulder 11, which engages acorresponding shoulder in the rear end of the receptacle 4, so as tolimit the inward move ment of the plunger. The coalis supplied to thereceptacles 41 from a suitable hopper 12 by vertical passages 13, whichcommunicate with the receptacles at the upper sides thereof. Thepassages 13 are preferably given a suitable offset at their lower ends,so that the fuel will not be forced into the receptacles by the entireweight of the body thereof in the hopper 12. The passages 13 morei overpreferably communicate with the receptacles 4 at such a point that thesupply of fuel will be cut off from the receptacles when the plungers 5are at the inward limits of their movement. By reason of thisconstruction the fuel is permitted to drop into the receptacles inlimlted quantities and only during the time that the plungers areretracted by their respective cams.

For the purpose of automatically varying the force with which each ofthe plungers is driven into its receptacle so that the successivecharges of fuel delivered from each receptacle is projected to differentpoints in the furnace, means are provided for giving the shaft 10 aslight rocking movement. Any suitable means may be provided for this Ipurpose. As shown a cam 14; is provided for this purpose, said cam beingfixed to a shaft 15 which is journaled at its opposite ends in thebrackets 7 and is given an intermittent rotary movement by means of aratchet 16 which is operated from the cam shaft 6 by a pawl arm 17 andlink 18 connecting the pawl arm with an eccentric pin 19 on the end ofthe shaft 6. The cam 14 is connected with the rock shaft 10 by means ofa link 20, which engages the cam by means of a stud-roller 21 at one endand is pivoted at l the other end to an arm 22 affixed to one end j ofthe shaft 10. It follows from this construction that as the shaft 6 isrotated, the cam 14 will be slowly revolved so as to draw the arm 22 onthe shaft 10 downwardly and thereby gradually increase the tension ofthe springs 9, so that with each successive operaplungers in the bracket7..

tion of the plungers they will be forced inwardly with a little greaterforce, thus projecting the fuel farther and farther into the furnaceuntil the cam has made one complete revolution, whereupon the tension ofthe springs will be reduced so that the plungers will operate to againproject the fuel into the front end of the furnace. The cam shaft 6 maybe rotated from any suitable source of ower. As shown a small steamengine 25 is mounted on the front wall 1 of the furnace, the same beingconnected to the shaft 6 by the bevel gears 26, vertical shaft 27, bevelgears 28 and horizontal shaft 29, which carries a worm adapted to meshwith a worm wheel 30 on the shaft 6.

In Fig. 4 a modification of the means for operating the fuel ejectingplungers is shown. In accordance with this construction each of theplungers 31 is made hollow and is normally retained in its outerposition by a spring 32 which is located within the plunger and isconfined between its inner end and a stationary stop 33, carried by thefront wall 1 of the furnace. For the pur pose of forcibly moving theplungers inward to project the fuel into the furnace a shaft 34 isjournaled at a suitable point above the line of plungers in brackets34*, said shaft being provided with a series of springs 35, one for eachof the plungers. These springs preferably consist of two or more platesprings securely bolted at one end to suitable collars 36 fixed to theshaft 34. A curved abutment 37 is arran ed below and in advance of theouter ends of the plungers 31 in position to engage the free ends of thesprings 35 as the shaft 34 is revolved, so as to put the springs under asuitable degree of tension before they come into contact with theplungers 31. As the springs 35 come in contact with the outer ends ofthe plungers 31 they are freed from the abutments 37 so that theirentire force is suddenly applied to the plungers 31, which are thusrapidly forced into the fuel receptacles, so as to project the fueltherefrom into the furnace. Any suitable means may be provided for thepurpose of varying the force with which the springs 35 drive theplungers 31 inwardly. In accordance with the construction shown theshaft 34 is mounted in concentric bearings which are provided with gearwheels 39 adapted to mesh with pinions 40 carried on stub shafts 41 inthe brackets 34 Each of the pinions 40 is intermittently rotated bymeans of a pawl and ratchet mechanism 42 which links are operated bymeans of links 43 eccentrically connected at the opposite ends of theshaft 34.

It will be seen that by reason of the fact that the receptacles 4 openinto the furnace, they will become considerably heated, as will also theportions of the passages 13 which are adjacent to the said receptacles.The

fuel will therefore become heated to a considerable extent before it isprojected into the furnace, the checking of the combustion and theproduction of smoke where soft coal is used being thereby largelyprevented. As the fire supplied by the mechanically operated stoker thusfar described, or by any other mechanical stoker which delivers the fuelat fixed points in the furnace, will inevitably become more or lessuneven owing to the fact that the rate of combustion in all parts of thefurnace is seldom uniform, means are provided in accordance with thebest embodiment of my invention whereby fuel in small quantities may beprojected to any desired part of the furnace without opening the furnacedoors or otherwise admitting cold air thereto.

One embodiment of this device is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Asshown a small fuel receptacle 45 is provided in a member 46 which asshown is substantially spherical in form and is freely journaled bymeans of suitable trunnions on a vertical diametric axis in the frontwall 1 of the furnace. A plunger 47 is arranged to enter the receptacle45 from its outer end. Any suitable means may be provided to operate theplunger. As shown the plunger is retracted by a tappet cam 48 journaled011 a pin 49 carried by the member 46 below the plunger 47. For thepurpose of rotating the cam by hand the cam is provided with a ratchetwheel 50, which is engaged by a pawl on the oscillating arm 51, said armbeing connected by a link 52 with a hand lever 53, which is fulcrumed bya universal joint on the front wall 1 of the furnace and is normallyheld in its upper position by a tension spring 54. The plunger 47 isdriven inwardly, when released by the cam 48, by a plate spring 55,secured at one end to an arm 56, which, with the object in view ofvarying the tension of the spring, is pivoted in suitable lugs 57 formedon the member 46 and is controlled by screw 58, which is connected tothe front wall 1 of the furnace by a universal joint and is providedwith a suitable hand wheel 59. The fuel is supplied to receptacle 45 bya flexible pipe 60, which communicates at its upper end with the hopper12. In operation the operator grasps the hand wheel 59 in one hand andthe lever 53 in the other. By moving these parts to the right or leftthe receptacle 45 may be directed to any part of the furnace and then bymoving the lever 53 up and down and by turning the hand wheel, the fuelmay be projected so as to fall at any desired distance from the front ofthe furnace. In order that the operator may see where the fuel is beingprojected, a suitable window or peep hole 61 is provided at a convenientpoint in the front wall 1 of the furnace.

It is often desirable infurnaces and especially in furnaces for heatingsteam boilers, to gradually vary the quantity of heat developed. Withthis object in view, I have, in accordance with one feature of myinvention, provided ammovable wall whereby the effective grate surfaceof the furnace may be varied. One embodiment of this feature of theinvention is illustrated in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive. As shown the rearwall 65 is mounted on a carriageframe 66, which is arranged to move backand forth in the rear part of the furnace on suit able side tracks 67.As shown, this carriage consists of a casting which is provided at itsforward part with a seat for a suitable protecting coating of refractorymaterial. At its sides the casting 66 is provided with downwardlyextending lips 68 which overlap the track 67, suitable recesses beingprovided in which the anti-friction rollers 69 are journaled. Directlybeneath the rear end of carriage 66 is located a stationary wall 70,which is preferably somewhat arched transversely of the furnace, asillustrated in Fig. 12. With the object in view of making an air tightconnection be tween the wall 70 and the carriage 66, the rear end of thelatter is provided with forwardly and rearwardly tapering portions 71and 72, which, are adapted to plow through the ashes deposited on thewall 70 and form transverse piles of the ashes which will act topreventleakage of air in the furnace gases. The depending lips 68 at theouter sides of the carriage will have a similar effect in the recessesformed between the tracks 67 and the sides of the furnace.

For the purpose of moving thecarriage 6 6 backward and forward so as tocarry the wall 65 more or less over the surface of. the grate 75, anysuitable means may be provided. As shown a pair of racks 76 areconnected at their forward ends to the carriage 66 and are arranged tomesh with a pair of pinions 77 carried by the transverse shaft 78. Theshaft 78 is provided near its center with a worm wheel 79, which isengaged by a worm carried by the rearwardly extending shaft 81, havingat the rear of the furnace a hand crank 82. The shaft 78 is journaled insuitable brackets depending from the partition 7 0 and the worm wheel 79and worm 80 are preferably inclosed in any suitable casing 83 alsosupported from the partition 70. For the purpose of keeping the forwardpart of the carriage 66 and the tracks 67 properly cooled, both theseparts are preferably made hollow and are connected to a suitable watercirculating system. As shown the chamber in the forward part of thecarriage 66 is provided with the inlet and outlet pipes 84 and 85, whichare arranged to slide longitudinally in the stationary supply anddelivery pipes 86 and 87. Each of the tracks 67 is also provided withsupply and delivery pipes 88, 89 and 90 and 91 respectively, one or theother of these pipes being extended to near the forward part of therespective tracks. With a view of economy in water and heat I preferablyconnect these water circulating systems togetherand pass the Water whichis fed to the boiler through them. To this end the delivery pipe 92 ofthe feed pump 93 is connected to the feed pipe 87, the delivery pipe 86is connected to the feed pipe .88, the delivery pipe 89 is connected tothe feed pipe 91 and the delivery pipe 90 is connected to the feed pipeof the boiler, not shown.

In order that the operation of the mechanical stoker may be modified soas to evenly supply fuel to the effective grate area irrespective of theposition of the movable wall 65, suitable connections are providedbetween the said wall and the controlling devices of the stoker. Anysuitable connection may be provided for this purpose. In accordance withthe construction shown the cam shaft 15 in the form of the device shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is mounted in eccentric bearings 94 having inwardlyprojecting arms 95 pivotally connected with a corresponding pair of arms96 carried by transverse shaft 97 journaled in the brackets v7. Theshaft 97 is extended through to the side of the furnace, as illustratedin Figs. 1 and 10, where it is provided with 'a depending arm 98 whichis adjustably connected at its lower end to a longitudinal bar 99 havingat its rear end a suitable rack adapted to engage a pinion 100 on theend of the shaft 78, which to this end is extended through the sidewallof the furnace, as shown in Fig. 10. It will be seen that as thewall 65 is moved in either direction the bar 99 will be given acorresponding movement which will be transmitted through the arm 98,shaft 97 and arms 95 and 96 to the eccentric bearings of the shaft 15.This shaft, together withthe cam 14: will thus be raised and lowered asthe wall 65 is moved backward and forward over the grate surface. Thetension of the springs for all positions of the cam 14 will thus becorrespondingly weakened and strengthened, so as to drive the plungers 5inwardly with the force corresponding to the distance of the wall 65from the forward end of the furnace. The distance through which the fuelis projected into the furnace will thus be varied in proportion to theeffective grate area of the furnace.

As the operation of the various parts of the mechanism has been fullydescribed in connection with the description of the constructionthereof, further description of the operation is unnecessary.

My invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the particularconstruction shown nor to the particular constructionby which as t 'projecting the invention may be carried into effect, as many changes maybe made in the details of the construction without departing from themain principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chiefadvantages.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a mechanical stoker the combination with a furnace of amultiplicity of fueldevices arranged in a series from side to side ofthe furnace to deliver fuel to 7 different parts thereof, and operatingmeans plicity of small constructed to cause each device to project fuelto different distances on successive operations, whereby fuel issupplied to all parts of the furnace in the form of a multicharges.

2. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace of amultiplicity of fuel projecting devices arranged to deliver fuel todifferent parts of the furnace, and means for operating said devices ina regular r0- tation with varying degrees of force whereby fuel iscontinuously supplied in small quantities to various parts of thefurnace.

3. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a. furnace, of amultiplicity of fuel projecting devices closely arranged in a row alongone side of the furnace, and means for operating said devices withvarying degrees of force whereby fuel is supplied in parallel linescovering the entire area of the furnace.

4. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of amultiplicity of fuel project-ing devices closely arranged in a row alongone side of the furnace, and means for operating said devices in aregular rotation with varying degrees of force whereby the fuel iscontinuously supplied in parallel lines covering the entire area of thefurnace.

5. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of the furnace,means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, movable ejectors forproject-ing the fuel from thereceptacles into the furnace, and means foroperating said ejectors with varying degrees of force whereby fuel issupplied in small quantities to all parts of the furnace.

6. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof small fuel'receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projecting the fuel from the receptacles into the furnace,and means for operating said plungers with varying degrees of forcewhereby fuel is supplied in small quantities to all parts of thefurnace.

7. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof small open-ended fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side ofthe furnace, means for continuously supplying fuel to said receptacles,reciprocating plungers for projecting the fuel from the receptacles intothe furnace, and means for operating said plungers in a regular rotationwith varying degrees of force whereby the fuel is supplied in parallellines covering the entire area of the furnace.

8. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of the furnace,means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, movable ejectors forprojecting fuel from the receptacles into the furnace, means forretracting the ejectors, springs for driving the ejectors forward toproject the fuel into the furnace, and means for varying the force ofthe springs to predetermined degrees whereby the fuel is supplied inparallel lines covering the entire area of the furnace.

9. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projecting fuel from said receptacles into the furnace,means for retracting the plungers, springs for driving the plungersinwardly to project the fuel into the furnace, and means for varying theforce of the springs to predetermined degrees whereby the fuel issupplied in parallel lines covering the entire area of the furnace.

10. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles through lateralopenings therein, reciprocating plungers for projecting the fuel fromthe receptacles into the furnace said plungers being arranged to admitthe fuel to said receptacles when retracted. means for retracting theplungers, means for driving said plungers inwardly to project the fuelinto the furnace, and means for varying the rapidity of the inwardmovement of said plungers in a predetermined manner, whereby the fuel issupplied in small quantities to all parts of the furnace.

11. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles through lateralopenings therein, reciprocating plungers for projecting the fuel fromthe receptacles into the furnace said plungers being arranged to admitthe fuel to said receptacles when retracted, means for retracting theplungers, springs for driving the plungers inwardly to project the fuelinto the furnace, and qmeans for varying the force of the springs-.topredeterminedqdegrees whereby the fuel is supplied in parallel linescovering the entire area of the furnace.

l2.-In a mechanicalstoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof receptacles arranged in a row alon one side of the furnace, means forvsuppl ying fuel to said receptacles, ejectors for projecting the fuelfrom the receptacles into the furnace, and a series of cams foroperating said ejec tors, said cams being arranged to operate saidejectors successively wherebythe fuel is continuously supplied in smallquantities to various parts of the furnace. 1

13. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projectingfuel from the receptacles into the furnace, aseries of cams for retracting said plungers, and springs or drivingsaid-plungers inwardly to project the fuel into the furnace.

14. In a mechanical stoker, the, combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projecting fuel from the receptacles into the furnace, aseries of cams for retracting said plungers, and springs for drivingsaid plungers inwardly to project the fuel into the furnace, said camsbeing set to operate said plunger-s successively in a regular rotationwhereby the fuel is continuously supplied in small quantities to variousparts of the furnace.

15. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of a numberof openended receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projecting the fuel from the receptacles into the furnace,a series of cams for retracting said plungers, springs for driving saidplungers inwardly, and means for automatically varying the force of saidsprings, said cams being set to operate said plungers successively in aregular rotation.

16. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with afurnace, of a numberof openended fuel receptacles arranged in a row along one side of thefurnace, means for supplying fuel to said receptacles, reciprocatingplungers for projecting fuel from the receptacles into the furnace, aseries of cams for retracting said plungers, a series of springs fordriving said plungers inwardly, a rock shaft to which said springs aresecured, and means for automatically rocking said shaft to vary theforce of the springs.

17. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of amultiplicity of fuel projectng devices arranged to'deliver fuel todifferent parts'of the furnace','means for automatically operating-saidprojecting devices, and an independent projecting device adapted todeliver fuel into any *part of the furnace at the will of the operator.

18. In a mechanical stoker, the'combination with a furnace, of amultiplicity of fuel projecting devices arranged in a row along one sideof the furnace, meansfor operating said devices in a regular rotationwith varyingdegrees of force to deliver fuel in parallel lines'coveringthe entire area of thefurnace, and an independent fuel projecting device whereby fuel may be delivered to any part of the furnaceat the will of the operator.

19. In a mechanical "stoker, the combination with a furnace, of anopen-ended fuel receptacle movably mounted in the wall of said furnaceso as to direct the fuelin any direction therein, an ejector forprojecting fuel from said receptacle into "the furnace, means forsupplying fuel to said receptacle, means for retracting said 'ejector,a.spring for driving said ejector inwardly, and means under the controlof the operator for vary ing the tension of said spring.

20. In a mechanical stoker, the combination with a furnace, of anopen-ended fuel receptacle mounted in the wall of said furnace to swinglaterally, means for supplying fuel to said receptacle, a reciprocatlngplunger for projecting the fuel from the receptacle into the furnace, acam for retracting said plunger, a lever and connections for operatingsaid cam, a spring for dr1v1ng the plunger inwardly, a hand-operatedmeans for varying the tension on said springsald hand-operated meansbeing so connected with the receptacle as to enable the receptacle to bemoved in a lateral direction.

21. In a furnace, the combination with means for projecting fuel intothe furnace, of a movable wall for varying the effective area of thefurnace and connections between said wall and said fuel projectingdevice whereby the distance to which the fuel is projected is varied inaccordance with the area of the furnace.

22. In a furnace, the combination with a plurality of devices forprojecting fuel into the furnace in small quantities, of a movable wallfor varying the effective area of the furnace, and connections betweensaid wall and said fuel projecting devices, whereby the distance towhich the fuel is projected is varied directly with the area of thefurnace.

23. In a furnace, the combination with a plurality of devices forprojecting fuel to different parts of the furnace, of means foroperating said devices with varying degrees of force, a movable wall forvarying the area of the furnace, and connections between said movablewall and the operating means for said projecting devices whereby thedistance to which the fuel is projected is varied directly with the areaof the furnace.

24:. In a furnace, the combination with aplurality of open-ended fuelreceptacles arranged in a row along one side of the fur nace, of meansfor supplying fuel to said receptacles, ejecting devices for projectingfuel from said receptacles into the furnace, means for operating saidejecting devices with varying degrees of force whereby the fuel isprojected from each receptacle varying distances into the furnace, amovable wall oppositely arranged with relation to said fuel receptacles,means for moving said wall to vary the effective area of the furnace andconnections between the means for moving the wall and the means foroperating the ejecting devices whereby the distances to which the fuelis projected into the furnace arevaried in proportion to the area of thefurnace. V

25. In a mechanical stoker the combination with a furnace of amultiplicity of fuelfeeding devices arranged in a series extending fromside to side of the furnace to deliver the fuel to different parts ofthe furnace, and operating means for said devices constructed to causeeach of a plurality of them to project fuel to different distances insaid furnace on successive operations, whereby fuel is supplied to allparts of the furnace in the form of a multiplicity of small charges.

26. The combination with a furnace, of a series of fuel projectingplungers arranged in a row along one side of the furnace, means forsupplying fuel to each of the said plungers, a series of cams forretracting the plungers, springs for driving the said plungers forwardto project the fuel into the furnace and means adapted to cooperate withthe said plungers to cause the fuel projected by each to be deposited atdifferent distances on successive operations, substantially asdescribed.

27. In a mechanical stoker, the combination of a fuel projecting device,a tension means for giving to said device its fuel projecting movement,means for withdrawing said device in opposition to the tension means auniform distance for each operation thereof and for releasing the same,and means, automatically operated, for adjusting the tension means tovary the speed without varying the length of the effective fuelprojecting movement of said device in successive fuel projectingmovements thereof.

28. In a mechanical stoker the combination of a fuel projecting device,a tension means for giving to said device its fuel projecting movement,means for withdrawing said device in opposition to the tension means andfor releasing the same, and independent means, automatically operated,for adjusting the tension means to vary the speed of said device insuccessive fuel projecting movements thereof.

29. In a mechanical stoker, the combination of a fuel projecting device,a tension means for giving to said device its fuel projecting movement,means for withdrawing said device in opposition to the tension means auniform distance for each operation thereof and for releasing the same,and means, automatically operated, for adjusting the tension means togradually increase the tension of said means in successive operations ofthe fuel projecting device until its maximum tension is reached and thenreturning it to its minimum tension without varying the length of theeffective fuel projecting movement of said device.

30. In a mechanical stolrer, the combination of a fuel projectingdevice, a tension means for giving to said device its fuel projectingmovement, means for withdrawing said device in opposition to the tensionmeans a uniform distance for each operation thereof and for releasingthe same, and independentmeans, automatically operated, to increase thetension of the tension means in successive operations of the fuelprojecting device until its maximum tension is reached and thenreturning it to its minimum without varying the length of the effectivefuel projecting movement of said device.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT A. E. STERZING.

Witnesses:

J. H. FREEMAN, EDWIN SEGER.

